Casey
"Fine! Then just leave! I don't care anymore!" screamed the brunette woman, blue eyes as deadly as ice daggers.
"Fine. I will." *click bzzzt* Casey sat staring at her computer in amazement at what had happened. The skype window was still open, reminding her of everything that happened. She had no idea how things had gotten so bad so fast…
*Flash back*
After Battle of the Bands, Derek had matured greatly and even improved his grades enough to pass without failing one class. The whole family noticed the improvement but not the relationship he and Casey had. To their family, they were best friends.
After graduation, Derek and Casey were accepted to different colleges, both in the United States. Casey, following her father, went to law school at Harvard. Derek got a hockey scholarship to the University of Wisconsin (AN: Please note there is only ONE University of Wisconsin, which is the one located in Madison. All the other schools are branches of the original.). They were several states away, but thanks to skype, they managed to make things work for a year. That is, until Derek said he signed up to join the US Army.
*End flashback*
Casey continued to stare at her computer. Shocked at what Derek had told her. Joining the army? Fighting in a war she didn't believe in? It felt like a betrayal, but she knew better. She knew Derek wanted to do something more with his life then just play hockey. He had grown into a man, a good man at that.
Derek
The bomb had just dropped, on Casey. He had told his father and Nora a few weeks ago. They weren't pleased but they supported him nonetheless.
As he packed what few things he could, he felt horrible for not even telling Casey he had considered or planed to join. Looking at his check list, he saw he had everything he could take and realized he'd have to mail his stuff home or put it in storage. Seeing as he didn't know where he would be stationed, he decided on mailing it home.
He sat down and wrote Casey a letter which he would send her from basic.
~*~*~ Ten weeks later~*~**~~*
Basic had gone very well for Derek. He was a natural athlete, so the physical aspect wasn't hard. But obeying authority was a bit harder. Basic is mostly mental, tearing down the civilian and building a soldier in his place. Derek had a very difficult time with that. He wrote home whenever he could and called home at the three week mark. But Casey never spoke to him. She didn't even write him. But he couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at her. He had written her, told her he was so sorry but this was what he needed to do to become himself, to become a man he could be proud of. And he was proud of himself. His family was proud of him as well. But he would have liked to have Casey there supporting him.
The day of his graduation from basic had finally arrived. He was excited to be getting into the job he wanted, which was Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle Operator. He was even more excited about the fact that his family would be at his graduation. He jumped down the stairs, careful not to scuff his boots so as not to clean them again, and joined the rest of his unit in preparation for graduation. Since this wasn't Advanced Individual Training (AIT) graduation, it was a regular ceremony where the troops marched for hours, stood still and listened to whatever higher-up had come to oversee the ceremony, and then finally everyone in his unit received a certificate saying they passed.
After being dismissed, Derek looked up in the crowd to try and find his family when he was tackled by a 10 year old Marti.
"SMEREK! I'VE MISSED YOU!" she cried hugging his waist and crying.
"Smarti! I've missed you too." He lifted her up and hugged her. And soon after that everyone had piled on Derek.
"We are so proud of you son," George said while hugging/holding up a crying Nora. "You're doing a very excellent thing with your life. We couldn't be happier for you."
Everyone was excited and talking to him but there was something, or rather someone, who caught his eye. It was Casey. She was standing slightly off to the side, not saying anything but crying all the same.
He put Marti down and walked over to her. He looked at her for a moment and then swept her into his arms. He hugged her and she clung to him like a life raft. When he put her down, she nodded her forehead towards his and inhaled deeply. Thankfully, Nora and George had figured out they were dating and had, sort of, accepted their relationship.
"Casey I-"
"Derek I-" they spoke at the same time. "No, you go first, I'll wait." Her forehead was still resting on his and his hands were in her long hair.
"Casey, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about this, that I didn't warn you, or talk you to about this. I just… really feel in my heart, that this is what I need to do with my life." He pulled only slightly away from her looking into her crystal blue eyes.
"I know Der. It was just so hard for me to process everything. I still haven't gotten a grasp on it yet. You know I don't support this war. We've never seen eye-to-eye politically, but I just never-"
"Hey, don't talk politics, I'm gonna be right in the middle of them soon." He joked pulling lightly on a strand of her hair.
"I'm sorry. I might not support the war, but I support YOU. I love YOU." There, she finally told him what she concluded while he was at basic.
"Yo-you LOVE me. You love ME?" He was flummoxed. He had done something totally against Casey (not meaning to of course) and she wound up staying with him and LOVING him? "You've got to be the best girl in the world Casey McDonald!" He picked her up and swung her around in a circle. "I love you too Space Case. I love you too." He dipped her lightly and kissed her passionately.
"Ew. You guys are disgusting!" Lizzie and Edwin cried, clearly not used to 1)Derek and Casey getting along, 2)Derek and Casey liking each other and 3)Derek and Casey being together as a couple.
"Someday you two will find the joys of love. You'll understand it eventually." Casey told them while still wrapped tightly in Derek's embrace.
Shortly after that, Derek had to rejoin his unit. The ceremony closed and the family left.
Casey POV
It would be another 23 weeks until she saw Derek again. It would be a long 23 weeks. Being an army girlfriend is not easy. Especially not when she had loads of homework and papers to write.
She continued her sophomore year and by spring break, Derek would be home. The two of them still fought, and it was hard. But they managed to stay together, knowing full well that love isn't always enough.
Somehow, somehow, after 23 painful, heart-wrenching weeks, the day Derek was to come home arrived. Derek would have a week's worth of leave and then he would head off to wherever he was stationed. He had told Casey he would be living on post. And he also told her that they would be living together. Whether or not she liked it. And she was more than willing to go with him to Texas, Japan, to the end of the world if he asked her. Yes, her schooling would be delayed, but she figured as soon as she knew where they would be living she could resume college there.
Finally, they day arrived and Casey was the first one out the door and launched herself into his arms.
"Well hey there Space Case," he greeted and then kissed her deeply.
"Hey yourself. I'm so glad you're here Derek." She hugged him tightly. It's a wonderful feeling, having the one you love return home. His life may not have been on the line this time, but next time, it most certainly will be.
After getting settled back in his old room, much to Edwin's chagrin, he sat in the family room with the family.
Derek POV
"I have some news. And it's not easy news." He sighed and looked around at his precious family. "I-I'm not going to be stationed in the US for a while. In fact, I won't really be 'stationed' anywhere…except Afghanistan." He hung his head, waiting for protests and upset cries. But what he got was silence. Marti was the first to speak.
"Smerek, you will be ok right? You will come home to us because we love you. We will miss you." She put her head on his knee. "You will come home and you will be ok. Pink swear!" She thrust her pink out for him to hook his around, which he promptly did.
"Yeah, you're right Smarti. I'll come home. And I'll miss you too." He hugged her and then looked up at Casey who was nowhere in his line of sight. He guessed she was in her room and he was right.
He leaned against the door frame and said, "Case, I'm sorry. You know there is nothing I can do about this right? It's not that I want to go," he sighed and walked into her room and sat on the edge of her bed, "but I have to. And I would feel bad if I didn't. I want to defend America. It is my home now. It is where you and I are going to start our future together. I want to protect that."
She looked up at him from her pillow. "I understand. It's not that I don't. But I thought we'd get a chance to be together first. I thought we could get a start on our life… I didn't realize this would happen so soon. But we have a good solid 2 years foundation to go on. We'll be ok, right Derek?" She looked up into his warm brown eyes as he cupped her cheek.
"Yes, we will be ok. And then," he kissed her gently, "we can start our future. I promise."